JN Port upgrades terminal, stops handling big containerships
India’s busiest container port will turn away 19 container vessels over the next six weeks while new quay cranes are installed, IFW reports.
In a circular, only sent out late last month, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) informed customers that its container terminal would not be able to handle vessels larger than 260 metres for 40 days from 20 June while three rail-mounted quay cranes were installed.
As a result, 19 of the 78 vessels due to call at the terminal during this period – around 32% – would be turned away, including ships operated by MSC, CSAV, APL, OOCL, NYK and CMA CGM.
JNPT recommended that shipping lines try to use Gateways Terminals India (GTI), also located at Mumbai, or find alternative berths at nearby ports.
The circular said: “Under the circumstances, [shipping lines] are hereby requested to approach GTI for handling your service vessel.
“In case GTI is not in a position to handle your service vessel, you are requested to make adequate arrangements such as transhipment of import cargo to [a] nearby terminal like Mundra, Pipavav, Kochi, etc temporarily depending on the voyage.”
It also suggested transhipping cargo through Jebel Ali, Port Said, Colombo or Singapore, or deploying feeder vessels of less than 200 metres to carry exports to a transhipment port.
MSC, one of the shipping lines affected, recommended that customers use its IPAK service from Bremerhaven, as its ISES service, which operates out of Hamburg, would not be able to call at JNPCT until 31 July and cargo would therefore be transhipped via Jeddah or Salalah.
It added it would also introduce a US$50 per overweight dry container surcharge as a consequence of the reduction in capacity.
“This unforeseeable modification programme has increased the impacts on the planning of the vessels and MSC therefore have to implement this overweight surcharge as from next week,” it said.
In a circular, only sent out late last month, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) informed customers that its container terminal would not be able to handle vessels larger than 260 metres for 40 days from 20 June while three rail-mounted quay cranes were installed.
As a result, 19 of the 78 vessels due to call at the terminal during this period – around 32% – would be turned away, including ships operated by MSC, CSAV, APL, OOCL, NYK and CMA CGM.
JNPT recommended that shipping lines try to use Gateways Terminals India (GTI), also located at Mumbai, or find alternative berths at nearby ports.
The circular said: “Under the circumstances, [shipping lines] are hereby requested to approach GTI for handling your service vessel.
“In case GTI is not in a position to handle your service vessel, you are requested to make adequate arrangements such as transhipment of import cargo to [a] nearby terminal like Mundra, Pipavav, Kochi, etc temporarily depending on the voyage.”
It also suggested transhipping cargo through Jebel Ali, Port Said, Colombo or Singapore, or deploying feeder vessels of less than 200 metres to carry exports to a transhipment port.
MSC, one of the shipping lines affected, recommended that customers use its IPAK service from Bremerhaven, as its ISES service, which operates out of Hamburg, would not be able to call at JNPCT until 31 July and cargo would therefore be transhipped via Jeddah or Salalah.
It added it would also introduce a US$50 per overweight dry container surcharge as a consequence of the reduction in capacity.
“This unforeseeable modification programme has increased the impacts on the planning of the vessels and MSC therefore have to implement this overweight surcharge as from next week,” it said.
